4 ms·

Yup. > just having a job on its own is something to be grateful of Graber's book Debt challenged my worldview in many ways. For instance, the bits about the n

Yup. > just having a job on its own is something to be grateful of Graber's book Debt challenged my worldview in many ways. For instance, the bits about the notions of employment. How the norm went from working for oneself to selling one's labor to another. Our predecessors considered employment akin to slavery. Years later, it still stretches my incredulity. The gig economy is bad, right? I struggle to imagine an entire modern economy, contemporary society where most persons are not wage slaves. Youngest me was obsessed with getting a good job, having a good career. Old burnt out me is wondering why I worked so hard to be make other people rich. What a waste. (But at least I got valuable work experience.)

harvey9 4y ago
Gig economy in the sense of tech-mediated casual labor is not really the same thing as working for oneself.
- specialist 4y ago
  Agreed. Free Agent Nation [2001] advocated working for one self. But somehow we ended up with gig work. What happened? Was "free agent" just another self-help con? A pretty good idea subverted? Unrealistic whimsy given our winner-takes-all economy? I'm for more small businesses. I don't know how we get back to that. Ideas? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/165415.Free_Agent_Nation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/165415.Free_Agent_Nation
  - harvey9 4y ago
    I had not seen that book before. those more desirable kinds of self employment do exist too. It's hard for a person who is poor to build their skills and capital to get out of app gig work and into something better.
_siis 4y ago
Its David Graeber, and the book is good. I had similar epiphany's with The Wealth of Nations, and Wealth and Poverty of Nations. These things should be taught in public education but aren't, likely because of ideological indoctrination. Unbacked debt breaks the guard rails for rational pricing of both products and labor. In the 1770s, it was recognized that the price of labor couldn't go below what it costs to raise 4 children with a spouse, which was necessary to have 1 make it alive to 18.

harvey9 4y ago

Gig economy in the sense of tech-mediated casual labor is not really the same thing as working for oneself.

specialist 4y ago
Agreed. Free Agent Nation [2001] advocated working for one self. But somehow we ended up with gig work. What happened? Was "free agent" just another self-help con? A pretty good idea subverted? Unrealistic whimsy given our winner-takes-all economy? I'm for more small businesses. I don't know how we get back to that. Ideas? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/165415.Free_Agent_Nation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/165415.Free_Agent_Nation
- harvey9 4y ago
  I had not seen that book before. those more desirable kinds of self employment do exist too. It's hard for a person who is poor to build their skills and capital to get out of app gig work and into something better.

_siis 4y ago

Its David Graeber, and the book is good. I had similar epiphany's with The Wealth of Nations, and Wealth and Poverty of Nations. These things should be taught in public education but aren't, likely because of ideological indoctrination. Unbacked debt breaks the guard rails for rational pricing of both products and labor. In the 1770s, it was recognized that the price of labor couldn't go below what it costs to raise 4 children with a spouse, which was necessary to have 1 make it alive to 18.